Green Kisses
by Lucy Fullbuster
Summary: A romance unfolds between our favourite green-eyed Espada, Ulquiorra and Inoue Orihime while she's being held captive in Hueco Mundo.
1. Kiss of Fate

Orihime sat alone at the edge of the bed, staring at the moon and dark cloudless sky, through the iron bars of her window. Everything was so quiet. Too quiet. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps shattered the silence; quick, even and louder by the step. She sighed, knowing exactly who was approaching. Her room door opened quietly, and a tall, pale and handsome Vasto Lorde slipped into her room, shutting the door in one fluid motion. In his hands, he carried a tray of food, which he set on the table next to her bed. He looked at her coldly, and instructed her harshly that she should eat. She stared at him indifferently, and turned back to the night.

Ulquiorra stared at her. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her long, straight orange hair cascading down her back, her porcelain skin glowing in the faint moonlight, her lips barely open and those brown eyes melted his dead heart. He walked towards her and she stood up to face him defiantly, ready to defend her friends when he told her that they were dead. Instead of taunting her, he took his index finger and pulled her chin up so that their lips were only inches apart. Her eyes were cautious and innocent. In one motion, he pressed his lips firmly on hers; a short sweet kiss. He turned away, waiting to feel her hand across his face; instead, she held his hand and walked around him to face him. Green eyes locked with brown, as she pulled him towards her and brushed her lips against his.

That kiss seemed to go on for an eternity when they finally broke apart. She smiled coyly, her cheeks; a flaming red and her lips slightly swollen from his passionate kisses. She looked at him, pondering his motives, when he smiled gently and left without a word. She stood there for a few moments, trying to process what had happened. Smiling to herself, she lay on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Orihime woke up expecting Ulquiorra, but was faced with Hallibel. 'Where's Ulquiorra?' she asked the towering espada. 'He's busy. Now eat,' she said shortly as she left the room, shutting the door quickly. For the first time since her arrival, she felt a longing need for her captor. The day dragged on as Orihime paced her room, waiting for Ulquiorra to stroll in. She had so many questions to ask him. _Why did he kiss me? _She wondered. But he never came. Her meals were now delivered by the amazon-like Hallibel.

Days turned into weeks as her pining increased exponentially. She couldn't bear it anymore; she was going to find out where he was from Hallibel. Footsteps were growing louder, _it's now or never,_ she thought. Her door was opened and shut quickly, Orihime turned slowly expecting the blonde beauty, but instead, there stood Ulquiorra. Standing as still as a statue, holding her tray of food his cold dark eyes staring through her soul. Expressionlessly, he put the tray down on her table and turned to leave. She held his hand, pulling him back, 'tell me why,' she whispered. Knowing what she meant, he reluctantly turned to face her, staring into her eyes made him melt, he knew he couldn't lie to her. He brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Not saying a word, looking straight into her eyes, he bent and kissed her softly. She pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. His arms wrapped around her waist holding her closer to him.

Halfheartedly, she broke the kiss but stayed in his arms. She looked up at him, 'why' she murmured. He stared into her eyes and whispered back, 'because I like you.' She smiled and kissed him softly, 'I like you too.'

Every day after that, Ulquiorra visited her without fail. He greeted her with a kiss and his arms remained around her keeping her close to him. Although she was in locked in his embrace, he was her prisoner. At nights he would stay with her, letting her lie on his chest, his fingers running through her hair and tracing patterns on her skin.

They enjoyed every moment together, stealing kisses at any chance they got, both fully aware that their actions would cause misery in the future, regardless, they reveled in happiness together. Their time was short and they wanted to maximize that fleeting moment of joy.


	2. Replaced?

Chapter 2

"Aizen-sama, you requested my presence?" Ulquiorra asked indifferently. "Ulquiorra, my number 4 espada, tell me, what has become of Inoue Orihime?" Aizen purred evilly. "She is surviving, Aizen-sama, she is an obedient captive," he stated shortly. Aizen smiled, "Well, I'm sure this has become an arduous task now, you are dismissed from keeping guard of Inoue Orihime." "No! I don't mind! Who are you replacing me with?" Ulquiorra shouted. Aizen stared at him, enjoying the look of panic on his face, "I was thinking of appointing Nnoitra. But he will be gone for 3 months so you will have to carry your normal guard duties until then. You are dismissed."

Ulquiorra slipped out of Aizen's chambers and walked back to Orihime's room his brain in turmoil. Thoughts of him being away from her plagued him and what made it worse, she'd be with Nnoitra.He thought to himself, "_That pervert. That fucking pervert. If he touches her, I'll fucking kill him. She's also so beautiful, he'll surely hurt her." _ Ulquiorra heard the rumors about Nnoitra. He raped many of the arrancar before. He killed them when he was done as well. Ulquiorra shuddered at the thought of that happening to his beloved human princess.

"Ulqui, what's wrong?" Orihime asked sweetly as she slid onto his lap. He kissed her gently, "it's nothing. Don't worry." She knew he was lying but didn't pursue the topic. Obviously he didn't want to talk about it so she just held him close to her and cuddled against him. She knew when he was ready, he'd tell her. She couldn't begin to fathom what would trouble him so much. Soon it was time to leave her side, he held her against him and pressed his lips against her forehead and then to her lips briefly and quietly left the room.

Aizen sat on his throne carefully planning out his course of action. He heard his door open and shut. He looked up and gazed upon the blonde statuesque beauty. "Aizen-sama, I would like to be Inoue Orihime's replacement guard." Aizen quickly wiped the look of shock from his face and replaced it with his usual malevolent smile. _Things were getting interesting, _he thought.


	3. Temporary Circumstances

Chapter 3 =)

~* Sorry for taking forever to update. Hope you enjoy =) Please let me know what you think, and any suggestions for future chapters *~

"Hime, I have something to say," Ulquiorra whispered. "What is it?" she replied in her sweet voice. "Aizen is going to replace me, and I don't know with whom," he looked up, dreading to see her reaction. Her lips had formed a tiny 'o' and tears were beginning to slowly stream down her face. Ulquiorra felt a pang of sorrow and he held her close, allowing her access to his shoulder. He ran his fingers through her hair and murmured words of comfort. After her sobbing subsided, he sat her on the bed and knelt in front of her on the floor. "Hime, look at me, I will be back soon, I promise. Be strong, for us. I love you." She hiccupped at his words and smiled slightly, "I love you too. I'll be strong, Ulqui. Come back as soon as you can." He smiled. He got off the floor and brushed his lips against hers. "This is just a temporary situation; I'll make sure you're safe, okay?" They spent that day in each others' arms and savored every moment of their last day. Their goodbye kiss lingered as neither wanted to him to leave.

It was here. The day Ulquiorra was dreading. He had not been told who his replacement was, and that made him really anxious, for the first time in his existence, he hoped, that Aizen would appoint someone other than Nnoitra. _Hopefully not Szayel, he might try some freaky experiments, Grimmjow wouldn't give a damn, who would that sneaky bastard assign? _Ulquiorra wondered. He was quietly waiting behind a large pillar outside Orihime's door, waiting restlessly, listening intently for any noise that would reveal the identity of his replacement. Suddenly, the faint sound of footsteps broke the still silence. Ulquiorra peeked out from behind the pillar like a timid kitten. He gasped when he saw his replacement. Tier Hallibel. There was no mistaking it. He was relieved. He sank to the floor slowly and his mind started to work again. New questions began to pop into his head, _Why her? What game was Aizen playing? _He decided that Orihime was safe for the while so for that he was grateful. But deep down, he had a bad feeling, gnawing at his sanity. He had to figure out Aizen's game quickly, before anything bad happened. It was a race against time for him, ironically since he had forever to live.


	4. Conversations

Chapter 4

~* I'm currently doing exams but I managed to find some time to update. Enjoy *~

Orihime waited apprehensively that evening to see who her beloved Ulquiorra's replacement was. She sat on the edge of her bed, and listened intently. She heard none, but her room door opened and shut quickly. Looking up, she saw Hallibel with her food tray and an unreadable expression on her face. Orihime was confused. Never did she guess that Hallibel would be her replacement. She expected Hallibel to leave immediately, but instead, she stood as still as a statue in a corner of the room. Shadows covered her face but it was clear that she was watching Orihime like a hawk.

Slowly Orihime began to eat some rice, the tension in the air was so thick, it was stifling her. _Why? _She wondered, _why is it so tense? We never spoke before, why does she hate me?_

Hallibel saw how uncomfortable she was making Orihime, it wasn't her intention. She walked towards her cautiously, noticing the look of alarm that crossed her gorgeous features. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you," Hallibel whispered, "may I sit?" Orihime nodded cautiously. Orihime studied her face and blurted out, "why are you here and why do you hate me?" Hallibel was taken aback, "I'm your new guard, I thought that was obvious, I don't hate you, I don't know much about you, only what Aizen-sama told me. I only wish to talk."

They talked for what seemed like hours about trivial things such as Hueco Mundo and Orihime's life back in Karakura Town. They were both warming up to each other when Hallibel whispered, "Tell me, why is Ulquiorra special to you. What is the bond between you both?" Orihime looked at her defiantly and stated bluntly, "I love him."

Hallibel stood up, it was clear she had not expected to hear that. She replied in a low dangerous tone, "Who do you think you are? Talking about love but sacrificing nothing to be with him while he rebels silently against Aizen-sama. And for what? A mere human who carelessly speaks about things she doesn't understand." Hallibel walked towards the door furiously, pausing with her hand on the doorknob, she turned back and stated, "You're not the only one who loves him." She yanked the door open and left, leaving Orihime in dark, with a single tear running down her porcelain cheek.


	5. Betrayal?

Chapter 5

Her world was shattered as Hallibel's words echoed throughout her mind. The memories of love she shared with Ulquiorra were falling to pieces, soon to be lost forever. _How could he do this to me,_ she wondered. Tears were streaming down her face at an alarming rate, her eyes were red and puffy. She felt so betrayed, so heartbroken, like she would never be the same again. She was uninterrupted for the rest of night so she lay in bed and sobbed herself to sleep.

The next day, when Orihime woke up, she saw her tray of food on her table. It was obvious that Hallibel had no intention of making conversation with her again. As much as her jealousy arose at the thought of her, she couldn't bring herself to hate her. After all, she didn't quite explain herself. She needed to hear her say that she (Hallibel) was Ulquiorra's lover.

Lost in her jumbled thoughts, her door creaked open slowly.

~* At the same time, somewhere in the desert *~

Ulquiorra felt that he was going insane. He had been wandering in the desert for some days, searching for some answer or clue to figure out what was going on with him. It had been so long since the last time he saw her face. He needed to see her. He sighed loudly as he felt a familiar reiatsu draw closer to him. Without saying a word, he fired a Cero behind him and drew out his sword, ready for combat. As Murciélago greeted Santa Teresa, the battle ensued; fiercely and deadly.

~* At the present time *~

Orihime's door creaked open; she looked across the room anxiously to see who had arrived. Green eyes met brown, she was ready to interrogate him about Hallibel, but as her eyes took in his appearance, a small scream escaped her lips. There, standing before her, was her beloved Ulquiorra, his clothes badly ripped, and drenched in blood.

After healing him, Ulquiorra bent to kiss her but she pulled away and looked at him sadly. Ulquiorra was shocked; he had no idea why she was acting like this. "Hime, what's wrong?" he asked gently. She looked away and mumbled "Hallibel." His confusion grew immensely. "What about her?" Orihime glared at him and began to yell, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WHAT ABOUT HER? WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HER?" Ulquiorra was stunned. "SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE LOVES YOU, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?" Without saying a word, Ulquiorra left, shutting the door behind him and leaving Orihime in complete darkness.

~* The Next Day *~

Her door creaked open, and she glared at it furiously, waiting to see who came. Her night was plagued with thoughts of Ulquiorra being unfaithful to her. She still loved him and was hoping for a reasonable explanation. She was jerked back into reality when she realized that both Ulquiorra and Hallibel stood before her.

Ulquiorra looked at Hallibel who began to address Orihime, "Human, it is not your place to inquire about the affairs of Vasto Lordes. However, Ulquiorra desires that you be told regardless." Orihime sat silently, waiting for her to continue to speak. "A long time ago, I had met Ulquiorra. He was lonely and he enjoyed it. I never understood why and I never questioned it, I just accepted that he would be that way forever. Still, I tried my best to make contact with him. As the decades passed, we developed a bond, quite unlike the one you have with him, it was as if we were siblings. We looked out for each other but since you came along, Ulquiorra has defied Aizen-sama on more than one occasion. I was incredibly worried that Aizen-sama would kill him, so I urged him to avoid you but he didn't listen to reason. I wanted to protect him, but he has made his choice. He cares for you more than anything else. So you should be grateful to him, not angry." With that, Orihime sobbed gently as Ulquiorra wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "Do you understand now?" he whispered in her ear. She nodded furiously and looked at him. "I'm sorry Ulqui, and to you, Hallibel." She sighed.

"Ulqui, what happened to you yesterday? Why were you in that condition?" she asked, he smiled and was going to reply when a loud clapping filled the room. "What a touching story." The three of them looked up to see who it was, Orihime gasped. Aizen was standing before them.


	6. Murderer

A/N: Sorry for the long delays. Please review, it gives me alot of motivation to write: the more reviews I get, the faster the story will be completed. Enjoy. ^_^

Chapter 6

Orihime gasped loudly as she turned to face Aizen. She knew a battle to the death would quickly ensue. Ulquiorra's fate was already sealed; he had to fight for his life, but Hallibel, she had a shot of still being Aizen's pet, all that determined her fate was her choice of words.

"Hallibel, Ulquiorra is going to be dead in mere moments, what shall be your fate?" "Aizen-sama", she whispered. She looked at Orihime and Ulquiorra. His face was unreadable but Orihime's still had that look of surprise. Hallibel loved Ulquiorra, he was her family, if she pledged allegiance to Aizen, she might be able to keep him alive. But Orihime was going to end up dead as his punishment. He would be miserable without her. Her choice determined the outcome of his life. If she abandoned Aizen and fought alongside Ulquiorra, they would all end up dead, there was only a slight chance that they would end up free, but if they did, they would all find happiness. _Is that small chance enough to fight for?_ She wondered.

She closed her eyes and stood tall, proudly took her place next to Aizen. Aizen smiled sickly and looked at Ulquiorra, "Your _'family'_ has abandoned you. Are you ready to die?" Ulquiorra did not reply but stood in front of Orihime, ready to protect her. He trusted Hallibel with his life and now, she abandoned him. Her betrayal brought up his feelings of emptiness that he had indulged himself in previously.

"Leave him to me," Hallibel stated. Aizen smirked. This was a wonderful twist for his game. Siblings fighting to the death while he just enjoyed the show, that was the excitement he craved. Hallibel drew her sword and with a flash, she slashed Aizen's neck. Orihime gasped, she didn't expect Hallibel to throw her life away. Hallibel walked back towards Ulquiorra, and hugged him tightly, and whispered, "Sorry."

A sinister laugh echoed through the room, "Did you believe **that** would kill me, Hallibel?" Hallibel spun quickly to see Aizen's body regenerating. She gasped. "You made your choice, now I will kill all of you."

In a split second, Aizen had advanced on them, ready to kill Orihime first. He clutched her orange hair and dragged her to the ground. "Look Ulquiorra, do you understand what you've caused?" Aizen taunted, he pulled her up as she whimpered, his hand on her throat. His grip tightened slightly, causing her skin to break easily and allowing blood to slowly trickle down. Ulquiorra had never felt so angry or helpless before. He knew any sudden movements made by him could result in the untimely ending of Orihime's life.

"Tell me what have you done with Nnoitra. Did you kill him? Does this human know about the savage creature you are? That you're a cold blooded, heartless murderer of hollows, shinigami and humans?" Aizen sneered, relaxing his grip on her a little. His words terrified Orihime. She knew what Ulquiorra was capable of, but she never really thought about it. _Murderer_ was such a strong word. He was such a loving creature, not some common lowlife. She knew Aizen's words were true. She wasn't sure when the tears started flowing; they combined with her blood causing rivulets of red to stain her pure white outfit.

It pained Ulquiorra to see her cry, her clothes slowly turning crimson. "Let her go, Aizen-sama. Kill me instead." Aizen chuckled, "Let her go?" he repeated, "How the mighty has fallen. _Disgraceful_. You have all that power and you are ready to throw your life away? For a pitiful human? Maybe I should kill you now, but first, look at how weak she is. Look at how easily it is to kill her." He tightened his grip, suffocating her, she gasped loudly as the wounds on her neck opened wider allowing more blood to paint her clothes.

"How about I spare her life for a few moments? Tell me, what have you done to Nnoitra. He was sent to assassinate you, but by you still being here, I assume he's dead."

"Assassinate? Don't fuck with me!"

Aizen tightened his grip, causing Orihime to gasp for air. "Tell me what happened." A twisted smile developed on Aizen's face as he experimented with various pressures on Orihime's neck. Clearly he was enjoying it. He was going to let the last thing Orihime heard be the killing of someone from her beloved Ulquiorra. Evil was an understatement.

"Okay, but release her. Release her, and I will tell you everything."

~*Flashback*~

Ulquiorra felt that he was going insane. He had been wandering in the desert for some days, searching for some answer or clue to figure out what was going on with him. It had been so long since the last time he saw her face. He needed to see her. He sighed loudly as he felt a familiar reiatsu draw closer to him. Without saying a word, he fired a Cero behind him and drew out his sword, ready for combat. As Murciélago greeted Santa Teresa, the battle ensued; fiercely and deadly.

Deadly yellow and green flashes of light brought destruction to whatever they hit. Explosions cushioned by the sand still created shockwaves that killed ordinary hollow instantly. This was a fight to the death with two Vasto Lorde. Nnoitra as number 5, Ulquiorra as 4, such power clashing couldn't possibly leave a clear winner. Could it?

"Pray, Santa Teresa."

Nnoitra gained another set of arms and his horns grew to form a crescent moon. Each of his hands held a large scythe; he smiled at Ulquiorra, "Your move."

Ulquiorra didn't bother to release his sword. He didn't even touch it. Nnoitra was worthless trash. No need for him to even draw it, he would use his hand to hand combat and cero to destroy him.

"So, how's pet-sama? I'm sure you've already fucked her. Is she good, Ulquiorra? I've been thinking about visiting her soon," Nnoitra goaded. He knew that Ulquiorra wouldn't take him seriously unless he pissed him off. But Nnoitra was being dead serious and Ulquiorra knew that.

"Enclose, Murciélago."

"After I kill you, I'll head over there immediately. I don't want her to be _lonely_. I'm sure she'll enjoy having me as company. Depending on how good she is to me, I might keep her as my personal entertainment; maybe I'll let Tesla have some fun as well. Don't worry, I'll make sure she knows that I got your blessing."

His wings grew in, as well as his horns. "It's time to end this," Ulquiorra stated. Within a split second, he had already advanced on Nnoitra, his fingers pressed into his forehead. "Cero Oscuras." The cero had completely annihilated Nnoitra. His blood was splattered all over the white sand. Nnoitra hadn't even processed what had happened as the black light ripped him apart.


	7. The End

I totally forgot to post the ending... I honestly thought I did.

* * *

><p>"So Nnoitra is dead…. That's a shame. He was one of my favorites," Aizen sneered.<p>

"Let her go now! I told you what you wanted to know!"

"Who said that I was going to let her go?"

Aizen's grip tightened, Orihime felt her body go numb, her vision was getting blurry. Ulquiorra could not believe that his human lover was going to die. He felt his world get cold as he watched on helplessly as Aizen took away her life. The light in her eyes was fading fast. He watched as she looked at him and mustered all her strength to smile. Ulquiorra felt like he was stabbed by a thousand swords drenched in poison. He dropped to his knees.

"Bankai!"

Aizen was slashed into halves. Looking up, Ulquiorra saw the familiar orange haired Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo. He freed Orihime from Aizen's grasp and took her to Ulquiorra. "Take care of her," he said. He turned back as Aizen regenerated, "I'll defeat Aizen." Ichigo slammed Aizen through a wall and took him into the desert. A shocked Ulquiorra was holding a bleeding Orihime. He tried to stop the flow, but to no avail. "Move aside, I'll take care of her," a woman said. She was a Shinigami, wearing a captain's cloak that had the number 'four' on it. She quickly went to work on Orihime and slowly, her color returned to her skin.

"She should be fine now, she just needs a lot of rest," Unohana informed him. "How come you're all not attacking me?" Ulquiorra questioned. "We all see how much you care for Inoue-san, we've collectively agreed that you're on our side," she replied. Ulquiorra smiled. He was immensely relieved that she was going to be okay, but there was still Aizen to defeat. He looked at Hallibel, she knew that he was going to assist in killing Aizen but she had already sacrificed too much, she was leaving Hueco Mundo for good. He understood as she disappeared into the night; Hallibel was gone. He didn't blame her, he looked through the broken wall; he could see flashes of light where the fight was taking place.

"Ulqui…. Stay… with… me."

He looked back at Orihime, and held her hand, "I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled at him before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

~*Later*~

Orihime woke up in a very familiar place. It looked like the Kuchiki Byakuya's house. Sitting up slowly, she realized that there was a strange weight on her legs, looking down, she saw Ulquiorra fast asleep on her lap, his black hair causing a wonderful contrast against the white sheets. A few lines creased his forehead, they were faint now, but she knew when he was awake, it was etched deeper. He looker even paler than before, the green marks on his face stood out prominently.

Suddenly, he stirred. He stretched and yawned, unaware that Orihime was awake. Unable to contain herself, she stifled a giggle. He tensed when he heard the noise and immediately looked at her. She could hear him sigh in relief as he captured her lips with gentle passion.

Breaking the kiss reluctantly, he whispered, "Welcome back, Hime. I missed you. You've been asleep for about a month now. I was so worried."

"A month? You're not serious. What happened after I passed out? Are you okay? Is Aizen dead? What happened to Hallibel? Did anyone die?"

"Shhh… Calm down. Breathe; I don't want you to pass out again. Hallibel left, I don't know where she went, but she's safe. Aizen died, but Ichigo almost died as well. His hollow took him over completely and he went berserk, killing Aizen and almost killing me when I tried to stop him. I'm fine now. How are you feeling? Your friends have been very worried."

"What? You almost died?" tears began streaming down her face.

"I'm fine now Hime," he whispered as he held her, "Shhh…. Don't worry. It's all over now."

He wiped the tears away and pulled her into a hug.

"I love you, Hime."

"I love you too."

* * *

><p>The end... I know it was short, but, I see no reason to prolong it... :3 Sorry to anyone who was waiting.<p> 


End file.
